Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 1:00 a.m. in "The City."

As my loyal readers have already ascertained, I am trying to stick to my stated intent to cut back on my blogging and go for an every other day sort of thing. Now that could change as the days become longer and the sun begins to shine for more hours each day, but as of now, my plans are to be less frequent. We'll see.

Right now the NWS in GR is reporting an outdoor temperature of 21°, while the DTWS reading is 24° as determined by the FPMS that sends in the data. In either case, the skies are cloudy. I like the temperature shown on the DTWS better. Today's hi]gh temperature is forecast by that same NWS to be 33°, so what the DTWS will be displaying is unknown at this time.

Early Thursday morning, when I went outside with GTWD, the rains that had fallen in the early evening on Wednesday had turned to ice and the entire deck was slippery as glass to borrow that old saw. In any event, the walk to the back forty was an experience. By the time the I had spread some salt and after the sun had been shining for aq few hours, the surfaces became easier to navigate. However, the schools were closed throughout the West Michigan area and many car accidents were being reported. So discretion being the better part of valor, I called my internist's office and rescheduled my Welcome to Medicare appointment that was scheduled for 11:00 a.m. that day. The next available appointment was February 20, 2017, more than one month later.

However, I was able to use my extra time to employ my new stand mixer to make two loaves of whole wheat bread. The new machine made quick work of kneading the dough and while I should have let the loaves rise a tad more, the bread tastes great. I'm getting into this baking thing more each day.

Yesterday, Friday, I was able to do some trainspotting. I also learned that GTWD is a trainspotter in her own right, as she hears the trains approaching and races to the back of the sofa to bark them through "The City." Mary didn't believe me about Ginger's trainspotting abilities until Mary witnessed the phenomenon for herself.

But I digress. At 9:27 a.m., locomotives 2057 and 2019 rolled through GH heading south with two CHCs, two, DWTCs, one GTC, and two DBTCs, bringing up the rear. At 4:44 p.m., I was alerted to the approach of the northbound run by Ginger and so I witnessed the same locomotives passing through towing three CHCs, with two DBTCs, also bringing up the rear. I could tell that all of the cars were loaded by the shaking of the manse.

Mary had been hard at work revising that recent index and she finished that up around 4:30 p.m. So at 3:30 p.m., I went to the chiropractor by myself and then stopped @ The Bookman for the Friday Grand Haven Tribune, and then Health Hutt for some spices before returning home. We drove to our favorite watering hole for dinner. Since it was "Wine About Winter" night in downtown GH, parking was @ a premium when we arrived and by the time we left, there wasn't a spot to be found anywhere. I guess that the intended effect of drawing people to GH in mid-winter worked.

I spent the day reading yesterday and I have nearly finished my latest pulp-fiction novel. Not to worry, I have more books on the shelf and more on hold at the library, so I'm set to go. Mary has plenty of yarn in her various stashes, so she too has plenty to keep her occupied.

Today we have a few errands to run and a pair of fur-children to walk. It will be good to be able to walk the sidewalks that are now free of ice and snow. In fact, the forecast for the next 10 days and beyond, shows temperatures of 33° today, to 56° by next Saturday the 21st. It will be a superb day to walk to my next Irish Jam session @ the library after having the last session canceled due to the snow and cold.

I'd like to get to Holland today to check on some shoes that my chiropractor spotted in a shoe store there. They may or may not still be available, but in my size, if another person came along to buy them, I'll consider that karmic and chalk it up to that person needing them more than yours truly. All of the stores that we need to visit are duplicated in the Holland area, so I believe that I can convince Mary to make the journey south versus north. The distance is greater, but the end result may be better.

I'd like to finally get in some play time with the girls now that Mary is done indexing and I will no longer be a disturbance. That will be later in the day when we return from our errands.

The sun will rise @ 8:14 a.m. and @ 5:34 p.m. Ciao.